Welcome to a behind-the-scenes run-through of how our Hodderscape art team created the visuals for our deluxe edition hardbacks for the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy.
By Daisy Woods, Designer
- Cover illustrator: @julie.reinhart
- Character art illustrator: @annastone.art
- Art direction & cover design: @daisyw.design
Briefing
During the briefing meeting, the editorial team provide an overview of the book, the look and feel they want to go for, comparison titles and key imagery that should be included.
The actual spec (print finishes such as endpapers, case foil and sprayed edges) for the trilogy had already been established before this came to the briefing meeting. As designers, we still always start with the front jacket visuals, as that’s the most crucial part for positioning it in the market to attract readers.
Initial Concept and Sketches
The project was assigned to me and another designer, and we first worked on some sketches and a mood board, which were to be presented alongside illustrator choices to the author.
For my concepts, I had a clear idea of the direction we wanted in terms of colours, floral elements and font choices – from references and visuals that myself and the team had gathered into a ‘project mood board’.
Mood board
Initial sketches
Sourcing Illustrators
When looking for illustrators, I find it best to find a couple of different styles, from very painterly to quite simple linework.
When we looked at Julie Reinhart's work, we just loved her style for the jackets; the colouring is quite soft and the linework is thin and detailed with a focus on nature, and we knew this would work perfectly for the style we were going for.
Examples of Julie's work
Developing the Illustration
For our SFF lists, or whenever we are working with an illustrator, we start with pencil roughs, then colour roughs, and then final artwork – all to set dates to allow time to share with the author and team in-house and make any necessary edits to elements as we go.
Below you will see how the jackets were adapted from my concept into pencil sketches, and then the block overlay of colour to plan the gradient across the series.
These jackets were developed as an additional colourway alongside the new paperback jackets. So, once we had finalised the paperbacks, I did several colour edits in photoshop – which allowed us to present a few options to the author and then with a confirmed choice, ask the illustrator to develop the jacket colourway based on our edit.
Colour Rough
Once the visuals for the front of the jacket were signed off, we started on the rest of the wrap (spine & back cover) to match to the detail of the front.
Final Kingdom of the Wicked jacket wrap
Endpapers and Case Foil
Once the jackets were approved, we moved onto making other elements like the edges, endpapers and case foil (design on the boards, beneath the jacket).
These elements follow a similar process to the one mentioned above; here, I have added an example of the process for Kingdom of the Wicked case foil. I started with a clear idea in my head of the icons from the books that I wanted to focus on and I sketched a couple of ideas, which were then presented to the author. Once selected, I refined all of the line art as simple flat black colour, which allows for correct spot colour set up for foiling.
Final Case Foils
Creating concepts for endpapers follows the same structure as other elements like the jacket. Based on what would compliment the new artwork, and what is doing well in the fantasy reader market, I created a concept to have the characters in a decorative frame with florals that match the jacket. I sourced some illustrator options and we narrowed it down to Anna, as she has such a unique and beautiful painterly approach to her characters. The textures added in really suited the style we were aiming for. I created another briefing document with details on characters and scale and we began the process of pencil sketch to final art.
Kingdom of the Wicked Endpapers
Final Stages
As the designer for this project, my work continues even after commissioning/illustrating the artwork myself: through file set up, colour testing, material choosing and lots more, all through to press – when everything is ready to be sent to the printer, reading for printing and binding.
The Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy is available to pre-order now:
Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are witches, forced to live their lives in secret to avoid persecution. Until one night, Vittoria doesn't come home and Emilia finds her body, desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, she vows revenge at any cost: even if it means using forbidden magic – or summoning Wrath, one of the princes of the Wicked.
With the Prince of Wrath at her side, Emilia sells her soul to become Queen of the Wicked and travelled to the Seven Circles to fulfil her vow of avenging her sister.
Faced with backstabbing courtiers, princes who delight in fear, luxurious palaces, dazzling galas, and conflicting clues, Emilia finds herself on a mission to unlock the mysteries of her own past and uncover the answers she craves.